The Bornean clouded leopard 云豹

Malaysia’s tropical jungle is one of the most cat-rich areas of the planet. It is most famous for its tiger population, but eight other species of wild cats also roam, such as the clouded leopard, the bay cat, and the flat-headed cat.

马来西亚的热带丛林堪称地球上猫科动物的乐园，其中尤以老虎闻名遐迩。然而，除了这威猛之王，此地还隐藏着云豹、婆罗洲金猫及扁头豹猫等八种野生猫科动物，它们同样在这片土地上繁衍生息。

These felines have gone under the radar as conservation efforts have focused on supporting the Malayan tiger – of which fewer than 150 individuals remain. But a photo series curated by conservation organization Panthera is intended to give the smaller species their moment in the spotlight.

然而，这些猫科动物长久以来都鲜少为人所知，因为保护工作的重心大多集中在濒临灭绝的马来亚虎身上——它们的数量已不足150只。然而，保护组织Panthera发起了一项特殊的行动，旨在让这些鲜为人知的猫科动物走进公众视野。

Over time Panthera has collected a number of images of the different species, taken by camera traps and photographers, which it hopes will increase the public’s awareness of and connection with the less-celebrated cats.

Panthera经过长期的努力，已经搜集了大量各种猫科动物的照片，这些照片有的是通过相机陷阱捕捉到的，有的是摄影师的精心之作。他们希望这些照片能够激发公众对这些猫科动物的关注与喜爱，从而增强保护意识。

The bay cat 婆罗洲金猫

These wild cats are notoriously elusive and, besides the tiger, understudied. According to the IUCN Red List, the global inventory for threatened species, there are few records or population estimates available for the Borneo bay cat, the marbled cat and the flat-headed cat. Despite this, almost all Malaysia’s cat species are classified as endangered, vulnerable or near threatened, due to habitat loss, poaching and climate change.

这些野生猫科动物行踪诡秘，除了老虎外，其他种类的研究都相对匮乏。根据IUCN的《红色名录》显示，婆罗洲金猫、石纹猫和扁头豹猫等物种的数量都极为稀少。不幸的是，由于栖息地丧失、偷猎和气候变化等多重威胁，马来西亚的大部分猫科动物都被列为濒危、易危或近危物种。

Roshan Guharajan, project coordinator for Panthera Malaysia, focuses on the Malaysian region of the island of Borneo, which is home to five species of wild cat. He has worked in the area for more than eight years, yet during this time has only seen the bay cat and the flat-headed cat once in real life. Both were fleeting moments, he says.

Roshan Guharajan，作为马来西亚黑豹组织的项目协调员，他在婆罗洲岛的马来西亚地区工作了八年多，这里是五种野生猫科动物的家园。然而，即便是这样长时间的工作，他也只亲眼见过婆罗洲金猫和扁头豹猫一次，而且都是转瞬即逝的瞬间。

Flat-headed cats are the most elusive, he adds. About the size of a house cat, they roam swampy wetland areas, which are harder for humans to access. “We struggled initially at trying to systematically monitor the species,” he says, but recently, his team has had more success after targeting the edge of muddy swamps and lakes with camera traps.

他特别提到，扁头豹猫是最难捉摸的，它们体型与家猫相近，常常在沼泽湿地中出没，人类难以接近。Guharajan表示，虽然最初在监测这些物种时遇到了困难，但最近他们的团队在泥沼和湖泊边缘布置相机陷阱后取得了显著成果。

The flat-headed cat 扁头豹猫

By monitoring the different species, Panthera is hoping to gather information on population sizes, range estimates and the threats that they face.

Panthera组织希望通过持续监测不同物种，收集关于其种群数量、分布范围及所面临威胁的宝贵信息。

It is also working with communities to improve land and forest management. Historically, palm oil and industrial plantations have been a major threat. According to research published in 2018, Borneo’s forest cover declined by 14% in the period between 2000 to 2017, mainly due to forest being cleared for oil palm trees. It notes that forest loss peaked in 2016 before declining sharply in 2017. According to Global Forest Watch, forest cover across Malaysia has remained steady since 2020.

同时，该组织还与当地社区紧密合作，共同改善土地和森林管理状况。历史上，棕榈油和工业种植园的开发一直是这片土地上的主要威胁。研究显示，2000年至2017年间，婆罗洲的森林覆盖率下降了14%，主要原因是森林被大面积开垦用于种植油棕榈树。幸运的是，自2017年森林损失达到顶峰后，情况有所好转，根据全球森林观察的数据，马来西亚全国的森林覆盖率自2020年以来已保持稳定。

The marble cat 石纹猫

However, clearing forest to make way for tree plantations continues to be a threat, says Guharajan, leading to the fragmentation of wild cat habitat. He hopes that engagement around sustainable farming and conservation could help to preserve the remaining habitat.

然而，Guharajan也指出，尽管森林砍伐的速度有所放缓，但森林开垦为植树造林的行为仍然对野生猫科动物的栖息地构成了威胁，使得它们的生存空间变得支离破碎。他期望通过促进可持续耕作和保护的合作，能够保护剩余的栖息地。

Although most conservation efforts in the region have revolved around the Malayan tiger, this is no bad thing, says Guharajan, noting that the species has been particularly targeted by poaching. Tiger body parts have a high market value: their bones are used for traditional medicines, their meat is consumed, their skins turned into rugs and teeth made into jewelry.

尽管该地区的大部分保护工作聚焦于马来亚虎，但Guharajan认为这并非坏事。马来亚虎一直是偷猎的主要目标，其身体部位在市场上价值不菲：骨头被用于传统药物，肉被食用，皮被制成地毯，牙齿则被制成珠宝。

The Malayan tiger 马来亚虎

Due to these threats and dwindling tiger populations, “there has been significant investments into forest management and anti-poaching,” says Guharajan. “By default, that’s bringing a lot of benefits to all these different species.”

由于这些威胁及老虎数量的急剧减少，大量资金已投入森林管理和反偷猎工作，间接地为其他猫科动物带来了福音。

He explains that while some of the smaller cat species are not directly targeted by poaching, there are cases when they will be caught in a snare intended for other animals or shot opportunistically by poachers. The wider anti-poaching efforts are helping to prevent this, with conservationists across southeast Asia reporting positive results from their crime prevention measures.

Guharajan解释说，尽管一些较小的猫科动物并非偷猎的直接目标，但它们仍有可能陷入其他动物的陷阱或被偷猎者射杀。因此，更广泛的反偷猎行动对于这些小型猫科动物而言同样至关重要。东南亚各地的保护主义者纷纷报告称，他们的预防犯罪措施已取得积极成效。

Having a charismatic big cat like the Malayan tiger in the region helps to bring in financial resources says Guharajan, and he hopes that raising awareness of the other wild cats will do the same. The photos help to build “a level of connection” between the cats and the public, he says. However, ultimately Guharajan believes conservation work should not be solely focused on one species. “We have to look at the spectrum: habitats, communities, cultures, climate as well. All can be used to conserve habitats and species,” he says.

Guharajan坚信，拥有像马来亚虎这样魅力非凡的大型猫科动物，有助于吸引更多保护资金。他期待通过提高人们对其他野生猫科动物的认识，也能达到同样的效果。他认为，这些照片能够在猫科动物与公众之间建立起一种特殊的情感联系。然而，归根结底，Guharajan强调保护工作不应仅聚焦于单一物种。“我们必须全面考虑：栖息地、社区、文化和气候。这些因素都可以用来保护栖息地和物种，”他如是说。